


A Joker's Card Game

by AdorableKittenLover1



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-18
Updated: 2019-04-04
Packaged: 2019-10-12 00:53:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17457527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AdorableKittenLover1/pseuds/AdorableKittenLover1
Summary: Though the story contains no kingdom, there is still a king and his joker. The joker has enough of entertaining and decides to be entertained. So, he offers a game to the king who is depressed due to the feeling that he has failed his duties. He is told that if he wins, he will become a man of great power and a man who is unstoppable while if he loses...The joker will be satisfied





	1. 0

_**There is no such thing as a free lunch.** _

Brave

Decisive

Mature

He's the ruler of a kingdom.

 

Manipulative

Childish

Unloyal

He's known for jesting.

 

A king and his joker playing a card game in which they both risk their lives. Only one gets to live and no matter the winner, death comes to reap the one who uses everything to his advantage just to better himself. A man who tricks while still maintaining his reputation. A repulsive being deserving of sacrifice.

A woman falls. A man is eliminated. The kingdom is crazed with fear yet the killer smiles with strings attached to him. Whether he is controlled or he wishes to go against the puppeteer is a mystery. Yet he still stands covered in blood with a wide smile that was so blinding nobody could tell it was forced. For the sake of his own life.

It was all a part of the joker's game..

After all,

 

**There is no such thing as a free lunch.**

 


	2. Imaginary Royalty

Sitting alone in the dim room only decorated with an old photograph of the inhabitant when they were only a toddler. The only other thing in the room was a bed with plain white sheets, a plain white pillow, and a plain white blanket. The teenager who sat on the bed was intently staring, as if he was waiting for something.

The door slammed and revealed a man who was dressed like a butler. He wore a white button-up shirt with a brown vest and a black tailcoat. His pants were grey and he wore black dress shoes. He even wore a monocle over his right eye. He was an old man which was visible by his many wrinkles and the grey hair atop his head and on his face. His dark brown stared back the teenager, his eyes saying that it was time.

Sebastian, the teen, lifted himself from the bed and slowly walked over to the old man. They stood for a few seconds before they both went down the hall. They kept walking until they reached a room with two large Belmont mahogany fiberglass doors. There were no windows to peek inside the room per request of the master.

Tanaka, the name of "butler" who came to retrieve Sebastian, knocked three times on the door and only entered once he heard a cold juvenile voice say "Come in". The two walked in and Sebastian was immediately ordered to get on his knees in front of the black credenza desk. The basil green carpet was rather soft so there wasn't much of a problem when kneeling on it but Sebastian knew that he wouldn't be getting up for a long time, which would allow for some pain.

The person who sat behind the desk wasn't exactly an intimidating figure at first glance. He had one eye covered by an eye-patch and his eyes were big and blue. He usually had a permanent look of boredom on his face but at the moment, he seemed annoyed. He was quite small too, standing at about 5 feet and 2 inches. Everybody was informed that the boy was only 13-years-old which confused a few of the prisoners, including Sebastian. Why a child would have such power and be able to legally take hostage of people was a question they never dared to ask.

Due to the early hour, the kid was only in a large white button-up shirt that was being used as his nightgown. Sebastian glared but only for a few moments to keep it from being seen as the shirt the child was currently wearing was his. This was obvious because of the missing second button that his mother had forgotten to sew back on. He had no idea any of the "butlers" had gone through his stuff but it scared him to think about what other things they could've taken from him.

"My name is Ciel Phantomhive. I told you when I took all of you away that you were here for a reason. Your parents brought you to me because they had a hatred for you. You weren't the child they wanted. My duty is to protect you but seeing as we are isolated from all those people, I have decide to change everything up a bit. This has been going on for years so don't think that I'll change anything because of you lot. I have created a virtual reality for all of you. My butlers will provide you with the equipment you need in order to do what I have asked. You kids have been thrown away by your parents and so I will allow you to have a new life. You all will become the rulers of a kingdom. It is your job to prove that you are capable of being independent and making decisions on your own. You are to show that you didn't have any use for the parents who let you go in the first place. This is going to be your new life. If you choose to quit, there will be a room in your VR that will give you a few seconds to think things over and if you really decide to quit then all you have to do is walk forward and my butlers will dispose of you. Are there any questions?"

Every person in the room figured that Ciel's words wouldn't exactly be comforting but most of them were looking down at the ground with sorrow once the kid had brought back memories of how they were being taken away because they were nuisances.

Adoption was still an option but it was some time ago that the Phantomhive family had taken over most of the cities because they were able to convince everybody that they had special blood that was considered godly. How they were able to do it is unknown but they were mostly able to do what they wanted. The death of Vincent and Rachel Phantomhive came as a shock to some people and most thought that their murder was due to a citizen crazed with jealousy and hatred. Many were overjoyed to see that the Phantomhive family was gone until Ciel Phantomhive reappeared and took control.

"I have a question. I'm guessing that this virtual reality will take place in out rooms. Our rooms are pretty small and kingdoms are huge. How will we be able to move around so much in a room like the one you've given us? Won't we run into walls and things like that?" asked a random kid who seemed hesitant to ask the question, not only because of the fact that he was asking _the_ Ciel Phantomhive but because he wasn't that far from a stoic butler who could snap him like a twig if he was told to. He even jumped a tiny bit when a tiny laugh came from the master.

"I guess I should've explained the virtual reality a little more. My apologies. I am not stupid enough to create something big like this and put you in these small rooms without a plan of my own. Of course, while moving around the your world, the real you won't be moving. It's almost like it's all in your mind. Isn't that great? Any other questions before I send off to a new life?"

The wording of that sentence caused a shiver to run through all of the prisoners. Nobody spoke up and so Ciel ordered the "butlers" to take everybody back to their rooms and set them up.

* * *

Tanaka stood and waited for Sebastian to finally say he was ready. All the equipment was set up and he was prepared to enter but he couldn't believe that he was only a button away from starting a new. He was visibly shaking and a look of worry was visible but Sebastian couldn't see.

The teenager was, once again, sitting on the bed but this time, he had wires hooked up to him and they were all connected to a peculiar machine that would presumably only activate one the button in the "butler's" hand was pushed. Sebastian had a sleeping mask over his eyes that was packed with everything needed to create the new world.

Sebastian took a deep breath and finally said...

"I'm ready. Press the button."

Only a few seconds after the words made it out of his mouth, he had gone limp and it was almost like he had just fallen asleep. Once his eyes opened, he found himself laying in a large bed, covered by a vivid white blanket with tassels at the bottom edges. The bed seemed to have its own roof that was held up by the bed posts and translucent drapes surrounded him on every side. He could see a figured walk by the bed and he was soon at the bedside.

The curtains were pulled open and so were the drapes. Sebastian was greeted by the emotionless stare of a real butler. he had long, dark hair that was pulled into a ponytail which rested on his left shoulder. He had pale skin, just like Sebastian, and his eyes were a dark golden color. He also wore a white button-up shirt with a tailcoat that was fully buttoned up. He had a white handkerchief in his pocket and some white gloves to. His pants and shoes were the same color as his tailcoat. Black. He even had black western tie along with glasses. He was exactly what Sebastian pictured a butler to look like.

"Good morning, Your Highness. You have a lot of paperwork to do today. I assume that you were having the most pleasant dreams, yes?"

In disbelief, Sebastian merely nodded. The butler vainly attempted to hide a chuckle at the priceless expression on the teenager's face. Although, it was quite odd to hear a laugh from him seeing as he didn't look like the type who laughed easily.

Knowing that this would be a servant he'd call on a lot, he felt that it was necessary to know his name.

"What's your name?"

"My name? Hm. I am whoever you want me to be. What is my name?"

That wasn't exactly the answer Sebastian wanted. He hated having to make decisions. It was too troublesome which really did tick his parents off sometimes but he appreciated that they put up with him. That was before they gave him away to the Phantomhives.

"I don't know. Maybe... Beau. Beau Griffith."

"May I ask why?"

"Um... Beau is french for handsome and Griffith is welsh for prince. So, Beau Griffith."

The butler smiled gently and pat the head of teenager who looked back at him with confusion.

"You're quite amusing, Sebastian Michaelis. From now on, I'll be your butler. I promise to take good care of you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I used Claude's original character design for Beau because I felt that would be better than making one up. idk. Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy what I have in store for this story.


	3. Deal

_"Did you hear about the new king?"_

_"He's merely a child. How will he be able to handle the throne? It's too much for him."_

_"The kid is not fit to be the next king. He doesn't know what's best for the kingdom."_

_"How unlucky. We have to deal with an immature brat for a king instead of a worthy ruler. Maybe this place has no hope after all."_

The words of hatred, distrust, and disrespect had always stabbed him like a knife. He wanted to disregard everything they were saying but their words always stayed in the back of his mind. Even some of his maids didn't exactly like him, mumbling about him after he finished ordering them to do something. What made it even worse was that he never actually established who the one in charge was.

Sure, it's usually the king as they are the ones who rule the kingdom, but he had never actually made it clear that he was a true king and not somebody who could be toyed with and made fun of by the lower-class.

The reason why was because he wasn't a true king.

He was just unwanted child who was forced into royalty all because he had to make his parents feel miserable for throwing him away.

"Your Majesty. Are you alright? You've been spacing out for a while and I'm getting a touch worried. If I may ask, how have you been sleeping?"

The sound of his butler's voice brought back to "reality" where he was sitting at his desk doing paperwork. Beau had taught him what to do and it wasn't too difficult but it was mighty boring.

"I've been sleeping fine, Beau. Don't worry. I'm just... thinking."

Beau frowned when Sebastian refused to tell him the whole truth but decided to leave it alone, thinking it would be better if the teen just came out with it when he wanted to. The butler himself did feel that he had been dealt a challenging task when it came to serving the teen in a king's attire. Even so, it was a challenge he was willing to take on if it meant that the kingdom could be stable again.

A loud knock resonated through the fine walls of the palace. Beau bowed and excused himself from the king's office. He made his way down to the large two front doors with a bit of confusion apparent on his face. With the amount of guards standing outside, there should've been no uninvited visitor as there was nobody scheduled to meet with the king. Beau looked back at a few servants who shared a look with him as they scattered to complete the unspoken order.

Beau slowly opened the door and there stood a tall man with a black cloak around his broad body. His face couldn't be seen due to him wearing a buskin mask, the symbol of tragedy. His black gloved hands were at his sides while he stood with his feet together. Not a word came out of the man's mouth but the faint sound of sobbing disturbed Beau to no end. Finally, the butler broke the silence.

"Excuse me, who may you be? I was not informed of your arrival."

No response.

"I will ask but once more. Who are you?"

Once again, there was no response. Instead, tears started to fall from the eyes of the mask and the man began to shake while the sobbing had gotten louder.

"What is-"

"He's so sad. The poor boy is crying. He wants to die. I'll kill him. I'll make him happy. He'll become an angel. He'll become an angel. He'll become an angel."

In the blink of Beau's eye, the man had disappeared with only the buskin mask laying on the ground to show that he was really there. The hard downpour of rain only made it harder for Beau to see if the man was still nearby or not. He picked up the mask and closed the door. Quickly, he shouted an order throughout the palace.

"Everyone, search the palace from top to bottom! Look for a man wearing a black cloak! He has ill intentions! Be careful!"

With that, the butler made haste to the king's side. It was obvious that the king was in danger and Beau was going to make sure that he was safe no matter what.

He finally made it to his office but the door was locked which resulted in him banging loudly on the door.

"Your Majesty! Are you alright? Please let me in! You are in danger! I need to keep you safe! Open the door, Your Majesty!"

* * *

It had been a while since Beau came back and Sebastian was beginning to worry. He was told that, no matter what, he is to stay where he was to assure his safety, but he decided to go look for his butler. He made his way to the door and was about to open the door when a gloved hand appeared in his sight, pushing on the door to keep from anybody getting in or out. Sebastian turned around to see a cloaked man wearing a sock mask on his face, the symbol of comedy.

Even though he tried, a scream was unable to make it out of Sebastian's mouth. Instead, the look of horror was all he could manage. There was faint sound of laughter that was slowly getting louder by the minute as the man soon started shaking.

"Don't cry. Poor creature. I can pull a bunny out of my hat. I can slice your butler in half. I can even put him back together. I can make your sadness disappear. You'll be an angel. You'll be an angel. You'll be an angel. Happy! Haha!"

The giddiness in the man's voice made him sound like a child which horrified the teen even more. Soon the man let out loud maniacal laughter for a while before abruptly stopping. The teen was surprised when he felt a harsh banging on the door while a loud yelling filled his ears. It was Beau. Sebastian desperately wanted to move but he couldn't. His legs stayed completely still while his arms hung at his side.

"Fun. Fun! Fun! Yes, I want to have fun! Let's play a game, King! What do ya say? Let's have fun! We'll kill your sadness! I'll murder you with happiness! Doesn't that sound great?"

"W-Who are you? Why are you here? What do you want from me?"

The laughter was so loud it became unbearable. Yet, Sebastian had to stand still when he failed to move his own arms and deal with the sound of the hideous cackling.

"I'm a joker! A joker, I am! I want to play a game! I told you that! Listen better next time! Next time you better listen!"

Soon the laughter had vanished and so did Beau's banging and yelling. The man tilted Sebastian's chin up with his gloved hand.

"In this game, you'll be granted with the gift of happiness. Power. Respect. You'll have it all. If you lose..."

The joker's hideous laugh started up once again, yet there was a more sinister feeling to it.

"I'll be dancing on your grave! I'll laugh and laugh until I die! I'll rip your flesh from your bones! I'll find the happiness inside of you! I'll see what's inside! Inside! An inside joke! That's what I'll find!"

His voice became serious once more.

"A game with the joker is what you'll be playing. You'll be playing a game with the joker."

* * *

Beau had finally managed to kick down the door, only to see a passed out king in the arms of a cloaked man. His features were more apparent this time. He had golden eyes with a large smirk and messy dark hair. The gloves were finally taken off which made scars on his hand visible to all.

"What did you do to the king?"

"A deal. A deal with the joker."

On the desk, surrounded by papers that were scattered about, was a sock and buskin mask. The symbols of tragedy and comedy.

 


	4. It's Merely Magic

Ciel Phantomhive sat silently at his desk, filling out paperwork, although he didn't see the point in doing so. Though there was nobody in the room, Ciel tried to hide his pain had his right hand was becoming sore due to the non-stop writing. He put down his pen and leaned back in his chair, looking out the huge window behind him as he tilted his chair backwards.

"It's going to rain today."

* * *

The king didn't feel drowsy. Beau had put him to bed early and even stood over him as he slept as to assure his safety. Even so, Sebastian couldn't help but stop his hand from moving every few minutes, as if he had become frozen in time. The only thing that got him to continue working was his butler calling out to him in a semi-loud voice. It wasn't like the butler was annoyed with his master's behavior. No, it was quite the opposite.

He was filled with worry.

Beau knew that he shouldn't distract his king from the work that was already piled up, but he couldn't just stand there and watch the boy he was to take care suffering like he was. He moved in front of the desk, of course the teen didn't acknowledge it, and knelt down, gently putting his hand on top of the hand Sebastian had subconsciously clenched into a fist as he wrote with his other. Sebastian slowly looked at Beau, seeing the worried look in the man's eyes.

"You seem troubled today, Your Majesty. Why not take a break? I can order one of the other servants to play any game you desire with them. You deserve to relax. I'm sure you've had a lot of work piling up on you."

The teen said nothing as he simply nodded. Beau frowned at Sebastian's lack of words but stood up anyway. He turned around to go find a worthy servant for the task of entertaining his king but he was stopped by a hand on his wrist. The butler didn't turn around as he waited for Sebastian to say something.

"Can you do it? Entertain me for a little while?"

Beau was surprised, though he didn't know why, and turned around quickly, scaring Sebastian in the process. He bowed down with a blush on his face while his master seemed confuse as to why he seemed to eager.

"You don't even have to ask. I will do whatever my master desires. What would you like me do? I'll follow any order."

It was surprising that Beau didn't show the slightest sign of being uncomfortable as Sebastian had taken quite a long time to come up with something. He was still on two feet as he bowed down to his master and didn't budge an inch, not even swaying to the left or right. That was half the reason why Sebastian was taking so long.

Finally, he picked an activity.

"Let's play old maid."

* * *

Beau had set up a tiny little table for the two to play their game on. Beau was busy shuffling the cards while Sebastian fiddled with his fingers. He couldn't help but constantly glance back at the paperwork he had yet to finish sitting on his desk. Beau caught on to this, put down the deck, and walked over to the king ruffling his hair.

"Do not fret over your work right now. I told you, you should have a break. I, as a servant, shall take care of you if I know something is troubling you." Noticing what he was doing, Beau quickly stepped back and repeatedly bowed his head while apologizing for touching his master's hair. His behavior had extracted a small laugh from the boy. Beau looked up and saw a tiny blush a=on a smiling face that belonged to Sebastian. For some reason, it made his face heat up too.

He shook his head and sat down as he picked out three queens from the deck and place them down on the table.

Once everything was set up, the game began. The two had conversed here and there but Beau had decided to stay quiet most of the time so Sebastian could focus on the game the two were playing.

Later on, Beau was left with two cards while Sebastian was left with one. Beau didn't miss the quick, occasional glares sent his way as he couldn't stop laughing as Sebastian hesitated to choose a card. He finally chose the card that was on his left, only for it to be the old maid. Beau had almost burst out laughing but held it in as to not upset his master.

He seemed to be in deep thought as he thought about which card to choose. He finally chose the one Sebastian held in his right hand, causing him to have pair. Sebastian slammed down card and whined.

"Unfair! You're smarter than me!"

"You should take your losses like a true gentleman, Your Majesty."

Sebastian scoffed. "Whatever. I have a question though."

Beau was about to pick all the cards but stopped everything he was doing to show that he was listening.

"Why is there only one joker card?"

"What?"

Beau became pale as he stood abruptly.

"There's usually two jokers in a deck but throughout the whole game there was only one. I was sure you took out only three of the queens but I didn't get even one queen the whole game."

Beau looked over at he cards he had taken out of the deck and saw that there were four cards resting on the side of the table. Maybe he had accidentally taken out all four?

No, it wouldn't make sense.

He turned over all four cards and, sure enough, all four queens sat there on the side of the rickety old table.

"If you don't mind, may I see that card in your hand, Your Majesty?" Beau said with the slightest bit of worry in his voice.

Sebastian seemed confused as he handed the card to his butler. He became concerned once he saw the expression on Beau's face become one of fear. He suddenly dropped the card as he felt a sharp pain in his hand. A black mist arose from the card and it soon took the shape of a tall man with broad shoulders, this time wearing black tights with red boots. He wore a skintight button-up shirt with the colors of rose madder and royal purple. From his ears hung earrings with bells at the ends. He held a knife in his black gloved right hand. He licked a tiny bit of blood off of it and Beau realized that it was his as he looked down to see blood staining the rest of his glove.

"How dare thou play a note game without the joker! I shall  hast thy pate!" The joker yelled as he danced on the table, knocking the cards off the table. He soon jumped down from the table and held the hands of a frozen in fear Sebastian Michaelis.

"Your Majesty!"

"You recall what I said right? He has made a deal with me."

"Tch!"

\-----

_"What did you do to the king?"_

_"A deal. A deal with the joker."_

_Beau inched closer and closer to the strange man who held his master. He soon got so close that he could easily see the crazed look in the man's eye. He was relieved to see that Sebastian wasn't hurt but it was obvious that there was still something wrong. He was distracted from his worrying as the joker began to laugh._

_"He wants power! Power is what he wants! I'll grant him power! If he wins against the joker. The joker! That's me!" The man continued to cackle as he held onto Sebastian tightly._

_"Who the hell are you?"_

_"I have no real name. Although, your master has named me Claude Faustus. That's who I am. A joker. Claude Faustus! A joker!"_

_Claude set Sebastian down in his chair gently and walked up to Beau, tilting the butler's head up._

_"He plays a card game with the joker. The card game only ends when one wins. If you interrupt, he'll cry. He'll cry blood. From his head! From his legs! From his arms! Blood is what he'll cry!"_

_The man danced around a bit before going over to Sebastian pecking him on the cheek._

_"So choose carefully."_

_\-----_

Leaning down, Claude nuzzled his head into the crook of Sebastian's neck as the teen tried his hardest to protest. He let out a squeak as Claude bit his neck hard. Once he pulled away, his face looked like he had experienced pure ecstasy. He licked his lips as Sebastian leaned against Claude due to his lack of strength.

"A lovely king.  A lovely taste."

He began to whisper in the teen's ear.

"Thou may either be the powerful king or mine obedient love.  The notes shall say to thy story"


End file.
